Day 1503

Day 6: For the Aspiring Martha Stewart...

Oh how I wish I had that woman's skills. I suppose practice makes perfect, and I need to get to practicing quite a bit more. Here's a few things that may entice someone to do just that.

How about a trio of gifts for the domestically inclined...or those who just like to fake it but look fabulous! I don't think you can go wrong with an adorable apron, a cookbook from the Master, and beautiful new serving dishes!

Day 1427

Hard to believe it, but it's October. The temperatures have finally dropped in Washington (I even got to pull out my beloved North Face jacket this morning!), and the Senate has recessed for the next six weeks to go home and campaign. Change is in the air, and you know how much I love/need a bit of change in the air to get my motivation going again!

This weekend, I began Project Projects at my house, beginning with a serious deep clean of my closets. My sister Marissa is coming to live with me in January for three months, so I figured I should take advantage of my new found energy and extra time now to start getting ready for her. Which for this weekend meant making space in my home.

It really is amazing how much stuff I have held onto over the years. College t-shirts, many old Christmas/Halloween/theme party costumes, my high school Homecoming Court dress. Seriously. Thing is, bit by bit I am slowly starting to get rid of the old, but I just can't rip the band-aid off and toss it all out. So baby steps it is, but at least there is less of the old still hanging around.

Also on my list for Project Projects is art, lots of art. Framing some of my work, creating new pieces, and reorganizing what I have. I also have a great idea for all my piles of jewelry around my bedroom that I hope to show you in the next few weeks.

I am also trying to get back into yoga...my work schedule has kept me away from the studio for a few months now...and I am also going to strive to start cooking most of my meals. I've been a lot better about making my breakfast and lunch and taking them to work, but my dinners are somewhat shameful. If I'm not out to eat with someone, I pretty much eat whatever I can grab or heat up quickly. Which means my dinners sometimes consist of a can of Lima beans, or string cheese and popcorn. Not good, but I figure with all this time on my hands the next two months, I can start cooking healthy meals much more.

Lastly, I really want to try to start writing more. With all this time on my hands, I have no excuse, right? Don't you just love when I get into these motivation spurts? Let's see how long I can hang on this time!

Day 1203

Day 22 of Wonderful: Breakfast for Dinner



Garlic Spicy Cheese Grits, Turkey Bacon and Blueberry Pancakes...I'm not going to lie, thinking of coming home to cook this is honestly what got me through the last half of my work day today. Do you remember the other day when I talked about needing motivation? Well today, my motivation came in the form of comfort food, and comfort food is what I had. Surprisingly though, this was well in my limits for my caloric intake for the evening. Comfort food and good for me? Yes please. Breakfast for dinner? Absolutely anytime.

Day 1197

Day 16 of Wonderful: Cooking and Red Wine



Tonight's menu: Lentil Soup

My new motto should be, "Cooking makes it all a little bit better. Red wine, even more so."

Still not feeling my best today. Still achy and lethargic and I just can't seem to shake it. I walked to the bank and to Whole Foods today in the frigid temperature, hoping it would do me good to get out in the brisk air. Getting my blood flowing outdoors did help a bit, but the feet of now black snow piled high on the street side just made me more depressed that yet more snow may be coming this Sunday.

I'm sure the lack of sun has something to do with me...always seems to help feel better when the sun is shining down on me.

But I've also been thinking about dad a lot lately, and it's not the happy memories I thankfully welcome. This morning I had a dream that I was a little bit older, living back in Little Rock and taking my young kids to a swim meet at UALR. They saw a picture of dad on the wall and said, "Look mom, it's grandpa. Coach is watching our race." I've never had a thought like that before, about what my kids will miss out on never knowing him. It's really, really hard to think about; really hard to even write at this moment.

So tough thoughts on top of the looming winter on top of not feeling my best...the only thing that I can do to make today a bit easier is cooking and a glass of red wine. I'm a slow cook but a fairly good cook...limited in what I know, but that will get better with time and practice. It's a bit hard cooking for one, but I'm trying to do it more and more anyway. Because when I get in the kitchen to cook, everything else just seems to fade to the background. It has to in order for me to concentrate on the meal I am preparing.

So tonight I peeled and I diced and I sauteed and I stirred, and now I'm sitting back with a glass of red wine, listening to the classical music of the figure skating in the background, and trying to focus on the good of my day. Good friends, amazing family, great job, a home of my own, hopes and dreams to look forward to. Wonderfully blessed, even on the tough days.

Day 1157

I'm trying to get in the habit of planning and cooking healthy meals, which will help my wallet, diet and peace of mind (cooking relaxes me, yet I never do it...surprised?). Yesterday morning, I got a fillet of cod out of the freezer to thaw for dinner last night. The plan was grilled fish, brown rice and veggies. Sounds yummy, right?

But for some reason, by the end of the work day I was CRAVING Mexican food. Not surprising either, since I'm always craving Mexican food. However, trying to not waste food and stick to my healthy living plan, I came up with an alternative...fish tacos!

I'm sure many of you, especially down South, are gagging at the thought of this dish. I didn't know of them until I moved to DC and then went out to California for the first time. I assure you, though, they are excellent and can be made very healthy! Since this was a spur of the moment meal, I used what I had, but you can add all sorts of veggies, salsas and spice to create a really tasty and healthy meal. Here's what I did:

Sprinkled the cod with salt and pepper and placed it into a hot iron skillet coated with a bit of olive oil. Since cod is a really mild fish, it's a good one to try for those that are not exactly fish fans. As soon as it started cooking, I squeezed a fresh lime over top to add to the flavor. Then I added green bell peppers and onions for even more flavor.

Looks yummy, right?



Once done, I put together my tacos: fresh green lettuce, then the grilled peppers and onions, then the fish, and then topped it with salsa and a tiny bit of cheese.



It was so delicious, quick and easy to make and very healthy...two of these tacos were enough for a meal, and only equaled 8.5 Weight Watchers points.

Next time, I'm thinking about making a mango, avocado and jalapeno salsa to put on top of the fish instead of the regular tomato salsa, lose the cheese and maybe adding some cumin or cayenne pepper to the rub to give the fish a bit more kick. I like this, being inventive in the kitchen! Tonight I'm trying for a healthy version of vegetable fried rice! Mmmm...

***Oh yeah, and in case you're blind and didn't notice, I'm playing around with my blog layout...trying to brighten it up a bit. I figure since I'm really not so much in mourning anymore, my page shouldn't be either. What do you think? I'm liking the color scheme, but think the layout is a bit lacking. Feedback anyone? I feel like I never get comments anymore!

Day 524

I made the yummiest dinner tonight--roasted asparagus, red peppers and polenta. Yummy!! The asparagus was especially tasty. My new goal of the year is to sharpen my cooking techniques. I'm good at making what I know how to make, but I still feel like I have a lot to learn.

My whole family, well not my sisters, but my mom, aunts and grandmother, are all excellent cooks. Growing up, I always watched them all in the kitchen, but never really got to get my hands in on the action. Literally already too many cooks in the kitchen for me to get in there too. What I really need is to take a class, because my problem isn't knowing what taste good together and what doesn't, it's technique. I always tend to cook things on too high heat, because I'm usually hungry and want it asap, and then tend to overcook it. Patience is a virtue I guess.

So cooking is the new goal. It's also really hard to cook for one, so I'm learning how to do that as well. So lots of small helpings of veggies and fish, meals like that. Oh, and meat. I'm not great at cooking meat. Fish and shrimp I can do, but chicken, pork and red meat--not so much.

Any tips and receipes you want to share would be greatly appreciated...especially small portions. Here's how I made my yummy asparagus--soooooo easy!

Preheat the oven to 400.
Lay asparagus on cookie sheet, cover in olive oil.
Sprinkle on salt & pepper & parmesan cheese.
Cook 15-20 minutes.

Easy breezy, right?